‏ Jeremiah 30

Summary for Jer 30:1-33:26: 30:1–33:26  ^a These four chapters are often called “The Book of Consolation,” a high point in Old Testament revelation. In contrast to the many messages of judgment that Jeremiah delivered to his people, these messages are filled with hope and point to a marvelous future restoration.
Summary for Jer 30:1-24: 30:1-24  ^b This series of messages is mainly positive, with only two verses carrying a tone of judgment (30:23-24  ^c). They speak of the beneficial effects of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the Exile.
30:3  ^d The new messages expand on the theme of 29:10-14  ^e (see 3:18  ^f; 16:15  ^g; 24:6  ^h). The fall of Jerusalem and the Exile did not mark the end of the Lord’s relationship with Israel. The Lord had a wonderful future for the remnant of his people. Descendants of people from the northern kingdom of Israel who were taken into exile by the Assyrians in 722 BC would be restored. Likewise, descendants of the people of Judah who were taken into Babylonian exile in 597 and 586 BC would return to the Promised Land.

• I will bring them home: The first major return from exile occurred in 538 BC (Ezra 1:1–6:22  ⁱ), the second in 458 BC (Ezra 7:1–10:44  ^j), and the third in 445 BC (Neh 1–13  ^k).
30:7  ^l The time of trouble was the Babylonian capture and the final destruction of Judah in 586 BC.
30:8  ^m Although the return of the exiles began in 538 BC, foreigners were still their masters for most of Israel’s history from the Exile through the Roman period. However, Israel experienced a measure of freedom during that time.
30:9  ⁿ After the Exile, the Israelites cast aside their persistent worship of idols and truly served the Lord their God.

• The Lord would provide a king, also a descendant of David, who would be called the Messiah (Isa 55:3-4  ^o; Ezek 34:23  ^p; 37:24  ^q; Hos 3:5  ^r; Luke 1:69  ^s; Acts 2:30  ^t; 13:22-23  ^u).
30:10  ^v The gathering of exiles would include those held in Babylon and also those who were scattered in distant lands. The Lord’s promised gifts would include peace and quiet without fearsome enemies.
30:11  ^w The Lord could make these promises because he was with his people and had the power to save them. He promised to destroy vicious nations and preserve his people. Still, the Lord would discipline his people if they sinned.
Summary for Jer 30:12-14: 30:12-14  ^x The exiles suffered injury—a terrible wound—because of their many sins.

• lovers ... allies: The Lord used these terms to refer to nations, especially Egypt, that had been Judah’s trusted friends (see 4:30  ^y; Ezek 16:15-63  ^z).
30:15  ^aa The Israelites had no right to protest their punishment; they deserved their exile, and God’s justice demanded that they be punished.
30:16  ^ab all who devour you will be devoured: See 25:11-12  ^ac.
30:17  ^ad I will ... heal your wounds: The people would return from exile and their sins would be removed.
30:18  ^ae The walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt in 445 BC under Nehemiah’s leadership (Neh 12:22-43  ^af).
Summary for Jer 30:19-21: 30:19-21  ^ag The rebuilt Jerusalem would be the center of a healthy and growing nation. Its growing population would experience joy and sing songs of thanksgiving. The city would be honored by its neighbors, and its streets would be filled with children who would grow up and prosper. The nation would have its own ruler again.
30:22  ^ah The Lord wanted to establish a nation whose people were totally committed to worshiping him as the one true God (Exod 6:7  ^ai; Ezek 36:38  ^aj).
30:23  ^ak The reestablished nation was still held accountable for rebellion. The Lord reserved the authority to express his stormy anger against the wicked.
30:24  ^al Punishment remained an important aspect of what the Lord had planned. The Israelites, including Jeremiah, found it difficult to reconcile divine promises with divine anger. Looking back on events at a later time would help the people to understand this paradox.

‏ Jeremiah 31

31:1  ^am In that day: This phrase refers to the return from exile that began in 538 BC.

• all the families of Israel: The coming restoration included all twelve tribes of Israel.
31:2  ^an The Lord directed his message to those who would survive the coming destruction at the fall of Jerusalem in 586 BC.
31:3  ^ao Long ago, the Lord had revealed himself during the Exodus (see Exod 15:13  ^ap; 20:6  ^aq; 34:6-7  ^ar; Num 14:18-19  ^as; Deut 5:10  ^at; 7:7  ^au, 10  ^av, 12-13  ^aw; 10:15  ^ax, 18  ^ay).
31:4  ^az In their homeland, the Israelites had been guilty of “adultery” with false gods. The restored community would be like a virgin, as though the people had never forsaken the Lord. The happiness and joy of their celebrations would manifest this transformation.
31:5  ^ba Samaria was located in north-central Israel.
31:6  ^bb In the fully restored nation, the kingdom would no longer be divided (1 Kgs 12:16-29  ^bc; Ezek 37:16-22  ^bd).
31:7  ^be The remnant refers to those who were living in exile.
31:8  ^bf The Lord promised to gather the surviving exiles from wherever they were scattered without overlooking the weak and helpless.

• The great company of exiles who returned in 538–536 BC numbered 49,697 (Ezra 2:64  ^bg).
31:9  ^bh Those returning to their homeland would cry for joy, knowing the Lord as their shepherd (Ps 23:1-3  ^bi) and feeling secure (see Isa 35:10  ^bj) with God as their father.
31:10  ^bk The Lord promised to gather his people from the nations of the world and be their shepherd in place of the wicked shepherds who had led Israel and Judah astray.
31:11  ^bl The Lord alone could accomplish the people’s release from exile.
31:12  ^bm The restored community would enjoy the Lord’s good gifts. The people could expect abundant crops to spring forth in the fields with no appeal to Baal. The sorrows of their exile would be cast off, and the returnees could expect to be fruitful, like a watered garden.
31:13  ^bn The Lord would replace mourning, a daily experience in exile, with his comfort and a continual outpouring of rejoicing (see Isa 40:1-3  ^bo; 61:3  ^bp).
31:14  ^bq The priests and the people would enjoy abundance because the people would pay their tithes rather than robbing God (Mal 3:8-12  ^br).
Summary for Jer 31:15-40: 31:15-40  ^bs The Lord expanded on his future project of rebuilding a new nation out of a people who had suffered greatly during their lengthy captivity. 31:15  ^bt Rachel, Jacob’s favorite wife, was the mother of Joseph (father of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh in the northern kingdom) and Benjamin (whose descendants were in the southern kingdom). She represented the mothers in all Israel whose children were taken into exile.

• Matthew 2:18  ^bu quotes this verse in relation to the slaughter of the young boys in Bethlehem.
Summary for Jer 31:16-17: 31:16-17  ^bv Rachel should not weep, because the Lord promised to bring her exiled children out of captivity and back to their own land.
Summary for Jer 31:18-19: 31:18-19  ^bw Israel was now repenting of its sins and humbly asking for restoration; the people realized that they had no power to redeem themselves. They were turning away from idols and affirming that God alone is the Lord.
31:19  ^bx When the exiles realized the stupidity of their sins, they were ashamed.
31:20  ^by The exiled people had been in the Lord’s memory all along. God responded to his people’s repentance with a father’s love for his wayward children (cp. Luke 15:11-24  ^bz).
31:21  ^ca road signs ... guideposts: The Lord guided his people physically back to the land of Israel and spiritually back to their covenant relationship with him.
31:26  ^cb Evidently, either Jeremiah or his scribe had fallen asleep and was awakened with a start. His sleep was very sweet, like the rest and joy promised by the Lord (31:25  ^cc).
31:27  ^cd A clear indication of the Lord’s care for Israel and Judah would be their population growth and the number of animals grazing in their pastures.
31:28  ^ce The future refers to the return of the exiled people to the Promised Land, whom the Lord had promised to plant and build (see 1:10  ^cf).
Summary for Jer 31:29-30: 31:29-30  ^cg Some seemed to think that this proverb (apparently a misinterpretation of Exod 20:5  ^ch; 34:7  ^ci; Num 14:18  ^cj) meant that innocent children were dying because of their parents’ sins. The Lord made it clear that each individual is punished for his or her own sins (see Lam 5:7  ^ck; Ezek 18:2-32  ^cl; 33:10-20  ^cm).
31:31  ^cn The day of the new covenant was realized when Jesus Christ accomplished his redemptive mission on earth (see Heb 8:8-12  ^co).
Summary for Jer 31:32-34: 31:32-34  ^cp The key difference between the new covenant and the one God made with their ancestors is that the Lord would write his instructions deep within his people’s hearts (see Heb 10:16  ^cq). The old covenant was external and legal, whereas the new covenant would be a vital, person-to-person relationship. The new covenant would emphasize the redeeming, transforming change of an individual’s spiritual nature.
31:34  ^cr The old covenant had to be taught (see Deut 6:4-9  ^cs), but the heart of the new covenant would be an inner, personal relationship with the Lord.

• I will forgive: Each repentant believer would experience God’s forgiveness.

• I will never again remember: When sins are forgiven, they can never bring divine judgment (see Heb 10:17  ^ct).

• Jesus’ death inaugurated the new covenant (see Matt 26:28  ^cu; Mark 14:24  ^cv; Luke 22:20  ^cw; 1 Cor 11:25  ^cx; 2 Cor 3:6  ^cy; Heb 8  ^cz; 9:15  ^da; 12:22-24  ^db).
Summary for Jer 31:35-37: 31:35-37  ^dc The Lord compared his promise of the new covenant to his faithfulness in maintaining the laws of nature.
31:38  ^dd The Lord revealed his plan for Jerusalem to be rebuilt. The Tower of Hananel stood at the northeast corner of the old city, while the Corner Gate had been at the northwest corner (2 Kgs 14:13  ^de; 2 Chr 26:9  ^df).
31:39  ^dg Gareb and Goah do not appear elsewhere in Scripture, but they were probably on the west side of the city.
31:40  ^dh Jerusalem will be an eternal holy ... city, present in the heavenly realm and on the new earth (Rev 21–22  ^di).

• The graveyard and ash dump were in the valley of Ben-Hinnom (see study note on Jer 7:30-34) on the south side of the city, and the Kidron Valley was on the east (2 Kgs 23:4-6  ^dj).

• The exact location of the Horse Gate on the eastern wall is unknown.

‏ Jeremiah 32

32:2  ^dk Jerusalem had been under siege since January 588 BC (2 Kgs 25:1  ^dl).

• Jeremiah favored surrender to the Babylonians, but the thought angered many who believed that they could successfully defy the foreign army. To protect Jeremiah, Zedekiah imprisoned him in the courtyard of the guard (Jer 37:21  ^dm).
Summary for Jer 32:4-5: 32:4-5  ^dn Continuing to resist the Babylonians was hopeless; it would result in disaster for the city and for Zedekiah.
Summary for Jer 32:6-8: 32:6-8  ^do Anathoth was Jeremiah’s hometown (1:1  ^dp).

• By law you have the right: Hebrew custom required Jeremiah’s cousin to offer the land first to his nearest relative (see Lev 25:25  ^dq, 32  ^dr; Ruth 4:1-4  ^ds).
Summary for Jer 32:9-12: 32:9-12  ^dt Many people might have thought that Jeremiah did a foolish thing when he agreed to buy the land. After the fall of Jerusalem and the exile of many people, the value of the land would drop to almost nothing. Still, Jeremiah immediately bought the field.

• Matthew 27:9-10  ^du refers to the “prophecy of Jeremiah,” which might be an allusion to this event.
32:10  ^dv Jeremiah carefully followed the proper legal procedures for buying property. The deed of purchase was a sheet of papyrus that listed the terms of the purchase in Hebrew. Jeremiah signed and sealed the deed and paid the purchase price in the presence of witnesses (Gen 23:3-18  ^dw; 2 Sam 24:20-24  ^dx).
Summary for Jer 32:11-12: 32:11-12  ^dy According to custom, a copy of the deed was made. The two documents were entrusted to the care of Jeremiah’s secretary, Baruch. This was done publicly, in the courtyard of the guardhouse.
Summary for Jer 32:13-14: 32:13-14  ^dz According to custom, the two copies of the deed were placed in a pottery jar so that they would be preserved for a long time.
32:15  ^ea Jeremiah explained the reason for his purchase: He was making an investment in the future that God had promised. Someday exiled survivors of the destruction of Judah would return, and worthless land would again become productive and valuable. Jeremiah had already predicted that the exile would last for seventy years (25:11-12  ^eb; 29:10  ^ec). Jeremiah’s purchase was a declaration of faith in the Lord’s plan for restoring his people.
Summary for Jer 32:16-25: 32:16-25  ^ed This prayer of Jeremiah differed from his previous prayers, which expressed strong emotions of anguish and despair and even sharp criticism of the Lord’s treatment of the people of Judah. This prayer was calm, affirming, and worshipful. 32:16  ^ee Jeremiah prayed in response to his purchase of land.
32:17  ^ef As the all-powerful Creator of all things, the Sovereign Lord could do what he had promised for his people.
32:18  ^eg The Lord consistently showed his unfailing love, but he also held generations accountable for their sins, and their children harvested the consequences. Through his mercy and his judgment, the Lord demonstrated his unlimited power. Jeremiah was confident that the Lord would show his love to his people as he had promised.
32:19  ^eh The Lord knows what each person does, and he holds each one accountable as he judges their sins fairly.
32:20  ^ei The Lord had done great miracles throughout the history of Israel, but he had also been active all around the world. As a result, everyone knew about Israel’s God.
32:21  ^ej The first great miracle in Israel’s history was the exodus from Egypt, an act filled with mighty signs and wonders. These divine acts caused terror in Egypt and among the desert tribes.
32:22  ^ek God also gave the productive Promised Land to Israel.
32:23  ^el After Israel entered the Promised Land, they quickly turned from faithfully obeying the Lord. Generation after generation up to Jeremiah’s day was guilty of rebellion. This long history of sin was the cause of the present terrible disaster. Previously, Jeremiah had trouble accepting that this act of God was just, but now he saw that the Lord’s word was true.
32:24  ^em Jeremiah was amazed at the skill of the attacking Babylonians. They used ramps to lay siege to the walled city. Within Jerusalem, he saw the horrors of war, famine, and disease. It was obvious that the Babylonians would conquer the city. A sense of awe swept through Jeremiah as he realized that he was seeing the fulfillment of everything the Lord had said.
32:25  ^en Jeremiah was still puzzled about the Lord’s command to buy the field (32:8  ^eo). That field would be under the control of the Babylonian army, and the purchase price drew on Jeremiah’s good money, his savings. Because the Lord had decreed that the city would be destroyed, the purchase appeared futile from a human perspective.
Summary for Jer 32:26-41: 32:26-41  ^ep The Lord responded to Jeremiah’s concern (32:25  ^eq) with several affirmations. The Lord had decided on his course of action, the events of the immediate and long-range future had been established, and real doom was hanging over Jerusalem.
Summary for Jer 32:26-27: 32:26-27  ^er The Lord affirmed that he is the sovereign God of all the peoples of the world.

• Using a rhetorical question, the Lord also affirmed that nothing is too hard for him.
Summary for Jer 32:28-29: 32:28-29  ^es The Lord affirmed that the army of Nebuchadnezzar would soon crash through the walls, Jerusalem would be captured, and fire would consume everything that could burn.

• Baal worship was both a family affair and a national commitment (see 7:17-18  ^et). All the places used for idol worship, including individual houses, would be destroyed.
Summary for Jer 32:30-35: 32:30-35  ^eu The Lord continued to affirm his plans, recounting that Israel and Judah had done evil, had turned their backs on the Lord, and had stirred up his anger against their sin. 32:30  ^ev The people of Israel (the northern tribes) and Judah (the southern tribes) had worshiped idols for centuries, since their earliest days, contrary to God’s ancient covenant with them. The Lord was infuriated by these evil deeds.
32:31  ^ew The time this city was built refers to the reigns of David and Solomon, when Jerusalem became the capital city of Israel. During the history of the northern kingdom of Israel, every king promoted worship of false gods. In the kingdom of Judah, only a few kings encouraged worship of the Lord, usually without lasting success (e.g., 2 Chr 14:3  ^ex; 17:6  ^ey; 29:5  ^ez; 33:15-16  ^fa; 34:3  ^fb, 31-32  ^fc). The northern kingdom had already been destroyed (2 Kgs 17:5-12  ^fd), and now the Lord had decided to get rid of the southern kingdom of Judah (see Deut 8:19-20  ^fe).
Summary for Jer 32:34-35: 32:34-35  ^ff The people had sinned by defiling God’s own Temple with abominable idols (Ezek 8:3  ^fg). The leaders of Judah were also known to sacrifice their own children to an Ammonite deity named Molech (cp. Jer 7:30-34  ^fh).
Summary for Jer 32:36-44: 32:36-44  ^fi The Lord affirmed that the destruction of Jerusalem would not bring an end to his plans. Beyond the immediate doom, the Lord planned a future of salvation and restoration for his people.
Summary for Jer 32:36-37: 32:36-37  ^fj Jeremiah was responsible for repeating whatever the Lord told him, even if the messages seemed contradictory on the surface. Jeremiah had been saying for years that God was going to destroy the city. Now he was saying that God would rebuild the city. Cp. Isa 38:1-6  ^fk.
32:37  ^fl God would certainly bring his people back again to Jerusalem, where they would live in peace and safety.
Summary for Jer 32:38-40: 32:38-40  ^fm The new covenant (31:31-34  ^fn) would take root deep within the spiritual being of the people, both as individuals and in the community.

• They will be my people, and I will be their God: A deep relationship between God and his people would finally be realized, as had been the intent of the covenant all along (7:23  ^fo; Lev 26:12  ^fp; Ezek 11:20  ^fq; 37:23  ^fr; Zech 8:8  ^fs).
32:39  ^ft Under the new covenant, the people would worship the one true God rather than idols.
32:41  ^fu find joy: The Lord’s anger at seeing his people worship sex-idols and his grief in punishing them for breaching the old covenant would be gone. No longer would he uproot them (1:10  ^fv); instead, it would be his delight to replant them.
Summary for Jer 32:42-43: 32:42-43  ^fw God’s promises for good were just as certain as the judgments that were being carried out as the Babylonians laid siege to Jerusalem.
32:44  ^fx fields will once again be bought and sold: The Lord directly answered Jeremiah’s query (32:25  ^fy). Jeremiah had signed and sealed and witnessed a deed for his inherited property (32:9-11  ^fz), and people would do the same throughout the land of Judah.

‏ Jeremiah 33

Summary for Jer 33:1-26: 33:1-26  ^ga As the city of Jerusalem and the king of Judah were falling to invaders, God gave Jeremiah a greater understanding of his long-range plan. The promises could only come true after the promised destruction. The hope of the nation was not to be found in escape from destruction but in the purification that destruction would bring.

• Jeremiah was ... confined in the courtyard of the guard in the royal palace from the latter part of 587 BC, when the siege was underway, until the fall of Jerusalem in August 586 BC (see 32:2  ^gb).
33:2  ^gc The Lord grounded this message in his power as the Creator of all things, and in the power of his name.
33:4  ^gd Zedekiah and his men had torn down some structures to reinforce the city’s walls against the Babylonians’ siege ramps and swords.
33:5  ^ge The men were already as good as dead because the Lord had decreed the destruction of the city.
33:8  ^gf The Lord promised to cleanse and forgive all their sins of rebellion; this was the foundation upon which the new, everlasting covenant would rest (31:34  ^gg; 32:38-41  ^gh).
33:9  ^gi Once the new covenant was established, all the nations of the earth would see the Lord’s blessing on Jerusalem.
Summary for Jer 33:10-11: 33:10-11  ^gj Although seventy years of exile would come first, the Lord’s curse (7:34  ^gk) would be reversed (25:10-12  ^gl). Singing would be a hallmark of the restored worship (Ps 136:1  ^gm). This prediction was fulfilled in 538–536 BC when worship in Jerusalem was restored and the foundations of the Second Temple were laid (Ezra 3  ^gn).
33:11  ^go bridegrooms and brides: Contrast the earlier prophecies in 7:34  ^gp and 25:10  ^gq.
33:12  ^gr The land was desolate as a result of the Babylonian invasion.
Summary for Jer 33:14-18: 33:14-18  ^gs Picking up on the discussion of flaws in Zedekiah and the other kings of David’s dynasty (23:1-5  ^gt), the Lord revealed the glories of the new ruler of the future.
Summary for Jer 33:14-15: 33:14-15  ^gu The day will come. ... In those days: These phrases point beyond the exiles’ return to a more distant event mentioned previously by the Lord’s prophets (Isa 32:1-2  ^gv). They indicate the New Testament fulfillment of God’s plan in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd (John 10:11  ^gw) and the righteous descendant (literally a righteous branch; Isa 4:2  ^gx; 11:1  ^gy; Zech 3:8  ^gz; 6:12  ^ha, 13  ^hb).

• He: An individual, not a remnant, would be a fair judge and bring justice with his pronouncements.
33:16  ^hc The Lord Is Our Righteousness: Hebrew Yahweh Tsidqenu; see 23:5-6  ^hd, where this title is given to the Messiah. This name was a reversal of Zedekiah’s name (Tsidqiyyahu, “Righteous is the Lord”). Zedekiah did not live up to his name, but the Messiah would do so.
33:17  ^he Though Zedekiah was the last descendant of David to rule over the kingdom of Judah, the Messiah, a future descendant of David, would be Israel’s king forever.
33:18  ^hf After the exiles returned to Jerusalem, Levitical priests conducted worship in the new Temple (Ezra 6:13-22  ^hg).
Summary for Jer 33:19-22: 33:19-22  ^hh Jeremiah delivered God’s promise that the new covenant of the Lord with the descendant of David and with the Levitical priests would be as sure as the sequence of day and night.
Summary for Jer 33:23-26: 33:23-26  ^hi The Lord had rejected individuals, cities, and kingdoms, but he would never abandon his people, who stretched across many generations.